I was completely shocked by the images of death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. It was an eerie reminder of the Mumbai’s Terrible Tuesday, when we faced a communications meltdown for almost a week after the flooding.
Katrina’s destruction was on a much larger scale, no doubt, but what shocked me even more was the images that seemed to come out of some hellhole in Africa, were actually taken in the most developed nation in the world. As this post by a girl from India caught in the storm seems to note, Nature is truly the great leveller!
As a jazz lover, I feel a special connection to the Jazz capital of the USA, so it was upsetting to learn how many musicians were affected by the storm, including Fats Domino. It was good, however, to learn that the Indian government pledged 5 million dollars for Katrina relief operations.
Just as bloggers stepped in to fill the void in Mumbai, Wired compiled a list of the best online resources for information about hurricane relief efforts, and reported that
Local community websites have sprung into action to assist hurricane Katrina survivors with everything from blankets to offers of shelter in their homes.
With cell and land-line phones mostly down, the web has emerged as a champion amid the wreckage. E-mail, instant messenger and blogs have proven lifelines for communication.
Sites like craigslist allow people to meet up with victims for face-to-face aid. Craigslist users have flooded the New Orleans site with offers of shelter and comfort.
I just received this message from marketer, Ken McCarthy, who included a very useful list of places to focus relief and donation efforts for the victims of this tragedy.
The Reuters Foundation ‘Alertnet’ just has referred me to a very helpful resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to provide help to hurricane survivors.
It’s a comprehensive web site that not only details what relief organizations are currently engaged in the Gulf coast region, but also describes the scope and scale of their activities.
InterAction Members Respond to the Victims of Hurricane Katrina
If you’re an online marketer, check out SystemFundraiser.com - a comprehensive source of fundraising advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs interested in helping hurricane relief efforts.
If you’re a blogger, webmaster or online publisher, you can also donate some of your ad inventory to the Red Cross so they can provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Click here to access the online banner codes to add to your website or blog.
More links:
Photos of the killer hurricane
Hurricane Katrina at Wikipedia.
